Weapon of Choice

“Loneliness, roaming youths, violence and predators.

We were wild nocturnals in the dark, warm nights.

Summer left quickly and before my 15th birthday, I got my hair cut short.

Strangely, that was something that hurt me the most.

In one of my hot summer dreams, I was in a Fatboy Slim’s video clip.

Christopher Walken and I danced along.

All summer long I felt like I had no control of my life.

But at that moment, I felt invincible.

So I packed my suitcase and left my home country

because in that dream I scored Weapon of Choice.

Luck and strength to run away and make my life my own.”

Weapon of Choice challenges the systemic abuse of women in Japanese society by revisiting a summer of violence I experienced at the age of fourteen. This series navigates the blurred space between past and present, visually embodying the experience of living with trauma – moving between consciousness and subconsciousness, resistance and remembrance.

These images question and confront patriarchal structures in Japan, a society often regarded as one of the safest in the world. While the subject matter is haunting and difficult to depict, Weapon of Choice also stands as a testament to resilience, serving as both a personal reckoning and an act of protest.

My nightmares are more frequent, I feel more vulnerable, but I stay strong and break the silence so our voices can be heard because in these circumstances, silence is not golden. My current weapon of choice is my voice through photography. I wonder what your weapon of choice can be.

Minami Ivory is part of »Guest Room: Aaron Stern«